{"id":751,"date":"2018-06-29T22:16:06","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T22:16:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/?p=751"},"modified":"2018-07-03T22:56:35","modified_gmt":"2018-07-03T22:56:35","slug":"sauteed-pea-shoots-with-garlic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/trialbyfryer.com\/2018\/06\/sauteed-pea-shoots-with-garlic\/","title":{"rendered":"Saut\u00e9ed Pea Shoots with Garlic"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I went to the Chinese supermarket last weekend, so fair warning – what follows is going to be an absolute slew of Chinese recipes. Whhheeeee!!!<\/p>\n
I love Chinese food. Being Chinese myself, this is hardly surprising, but I can’t go probably more than two weeks without eating a bowl of rice. When I was 18, my family and I went on a cruise to Alaska. I was absolutely bedazzled by the immense supply and quantity of food on board the boat, but, cruise cuisine probably not being that international back in 2001, I remember eating a lot of meat, potatoes, and cake. Don’t get me wrong – I loved every minute of it, especially the endless dessert platters (a bit of foreshadowing of my college life as well…), but as the ship put-put-putted back to port in Vancouver, I had the most intense craving for soy-sauce licked meats, soft, fluffy mounds of short-grain rice, and crisp, sweet, crunchy pea shoots laced with garlic.<\/p>\n
If you’ve never had pea shoots before, please please please<\/em> try some. They are light and sweet, what happens when the springy flavor of peas marries the crunch of romaine lettuce – a “more interesting spinach,” as James says! Sadly, I’m a little late to the game, as pea shoot season is coming to an end. You might still be able to find some, though, and restaurants will probably still have it on their menu.<\/p>\n Not surprisingly, pea shoots are the very young, tender vines of the pea plant<\/a>. Each shoot is about a few inches long, and consists of a stem, leaves branching from that stem, and little tendrils curling from the leaves. As I mentioned, they’re fairly seasonal, and are freshest and most abundant in the spring or early summer, when the pea plants are just starting to mature. When they’re available, they’re omnipresent in Chinese restaurants and Asian supermarkets. That’s where I buy them, although farmers markets are a good bet too<\/a>.<\/p>\n You’ll want to look for pea shoots that are fresh, bright, green, and free from bruised or wilted leaves. They could also be labeled as\u00a0pea tendrils, pea greens, or pea tips. The central stem should look crisp and tender. Older shoots will have a thicker stem, which tends to start look a bit leathery – avoid these if possible, as the shoots will be tougher and chewier to eat. Pea shoots are a rather delicate vegetable, and should be used within a few days of purchase. If you see the leaves wilting or the shoots turning mushy or discolored, you’ll want to use them immediately!<\/p>\n Pea shoots are very versatile<\/a>, but I like them best saut\u00e9ed with lots and lots of fresh garlic. Here’s a picture of them with beef chow fun<\/a>\u00a0for a surprisingly easy and delicious dinner!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\t \nServings<\/th> Fuss Factor<\/th> Total Time<\/th> Prep Time<\/th> Cook Time<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n\t Up to you<\/td> 1<\/td> 10 minutes<\/td> 5 minutes<\/td> 5 minutes<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n\n